The U.S. Training for the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program 2024
From August 5th to 16th, 2024, ten nursing students visited New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., for the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program 2024.
The participants had undergone four pre-training sessions since June to learn basic knowledge about disaster nursing, leadership, the Great East Japan Earthquake, and other topics before the U.S. training.
During the training in the United States, the participants learned about the role of nurses not only in natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy but also in human-made disasters such as the September 11 attacks from various perspectives.One of the participants, Ms. Mao Ogawa said, “(The U.S. trip) made me realize that healthcare workers and local community members have the same desire to save as many lives as possible. Moreover, I learned that understanding patients is the fundamental nursing principle, and it is universally understood. Therefore, I again realized my commitment to always help those having a difficult time, no matter where or who I am.”
On the last day of the U.S. study tour, in Washington D.C., the participants attended a reception to commemorate the success of the program. The reception was attended by Minister Masaru Sato, Minister and Head of Chancery at the Japanese Embassy in the United States, MaryAnne Hilliard Esq., Executive Vice President of Children’s National Hospital, and Ms. Susan Morita, Co-Chair of USJC.
On behalf of the 9th cohort, Ms. Mao Ogawa and Ms. Rin Yasuda delivered speeches. Mao said, “(The U.S. trip) made me realize that healthcare workers and local community members have the same desire to save as many lives as possible. Moreover, I learned that understanding patients is the fundamental nursing principle, and it is universally understood. Therefore, I again realized my commitment to always help those having a difficult time, no matter where or who I am.” Rin reflected “I had a chance to learn about community-based support such as food banks. That made me understand deeply the non-nursing support systems for disaster recovery. It is also important for disaster nursing to collaborate with various professions. So, I would like to learn more about the importance of cooperation in recovery-phase support.”
The students will prepare for the project presentation at the “World Society of Disaster Nursing” to be held in Hyogo Prefecture in November as they are ready to give back to the community.
